Prior to the present invention, high speed data protocols were proprietary and could not communicate with each other. Because of rapidly changing protocols, it was not cost effective to commit a protocol to hardware. This forced the protocols to be relatively simple because a processor could not perform intense computations in real time.
The ECMA 102 protocol is based upon CCITT Rec. I.463 (V.110). The ECMA protocol is a computationally intense protocol, requiring high speed bit manipulation. As with any protocol, the ECMA protocol is an evolving protocol and subject to change and improvements. This makes a hardware solution risky.
It therefore becomes the object of the present invention to implement the ECMA protocol in such a manner as to be cost effective and easily updated.